This invention relates to electrolysis and has particular, but not exclusive, application to the electrolysis of water to form hydrogen and oxygen.
In electrolysis a potential difference is applied between an anode and a cathode in contact with an electrolytic conductor to produce an electric current through the electrolytic conductor.
Many molten salts and hydroxides are electrolytic conductors but usually the conductor is a solution of a substance which dissociates in the solution to form ions. The term "electrolyte" will be used herein to refer to a substance which dissociates into ions, at least to some extent, when dissolved in a suitable solvent. The resulting solution will be referred to as an "electrolyte solution".
Faraday's Laws of Electrolytis provide that in any electrolysis process the mass of substance liberated at an anode or cathode is in accordance with the formula EQU m = zq
where
m is the mass of substance liberated in grams, PA1 z is the electrochemical equivalent of the substance, and PA1 q is the quantity of electricity passed, in coulombs. PA1 a. an electrolytic cell to hold an electroltic conductor and including an anode and a cathode to contact the electrolytic conductor, and PA1 b. electrical supply means to apply between the anode and cathode of the electrolytic cell pulses of electrical energy to induce a pulsating current in the electrolytic conductor.
An important consequence of Faraday's Laws is that the rate of decomposition of an electrolyte is dependent on current and is independent of voltage. For example, in a conventional electrolysis process in which a constant current I amps flows for t seconds, q = It and the mass of material deposited or dissolved will depend on I regardless of voltage, provided that the voltage exceeds the minimum necessary for the electrolysis to proceed. For most electrolytes, the minimum voltage is very low.
The prior art shows electrolytic reactions employing DC or rectified AC which necessarily will have a ripple component; an example of the former being shown for instance in Kilgus U.S. Pat. No. 2,016,442 and an example of the latter being shown in Emic et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,742. It will be noted that the Kilgus patent also discloses the application of a magnetic field to the electrolyte, which field is said to increase the production of gas at the two electrodes.